The Tattersalls December Foal Sale returns to Park Paddocks from Tuesday, 26th November. A highly anticipated headline lot will no doubt be the Frankel x Suelita (lot 945) offered by her breeders, Whitsbury Manor Stud.
The daughter of Frankel is a full sister to the Champion two-year-old, Classic and dual Group 1 winner CHALDEAN who has subsequently embarked on his new career as a stallion at Juddmonte‘s Banstead Manor in Newmarket. Their dam, Suelita has produced seven winners from seven foals of racing age, five of which have achieved black type, including Group 2 Mill Reef winner ALKUMAIT (now sire) and Group 1 Flying Five runner-up GET AHEAD alongside CHALDEAN.
A filly bred in the purple with a profile like hers should bring a plethora of prospective buyers when foal inspections commence later this month. Ahead of the sale, Tattersalls caught up with Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud to discuss this unique filly, the attributes she shares with talented siblings that have come before her as well as the tough decision to trade a once in a lifetime filly like her.
The daughter of Suelita has been undergoing her sales preparation for several weeks now and is unsurprisingly held in the utmost regard by Ed Harper who said: “She’s a more feminine version of Chaldean. She’s very similar really. She’s probably a bit bigger than him at the same stage as she’s a month older but she’s got her mother’s head – a really nice feminine head and forward going attitude.
“It’s probably no lie to say she is probably the best foal we will ever produce at Whitsbury which is a bit of a daunting thought but I don’t think we’re ever going to have another Suelita and to send Suelita to Frankel in his prime, an as a full sister to a Dewhurst and Guineas winner she’s probably the peak of an individual that we’re going to produce.
“At the end of the day we need to show that we bring the best of what we produce to the sales. We’re farmers at the end of the day and she is as best as we can produce so she’s got to go to market and see what people think of her.”
The decision to sell this filly cannot have been an easy one for her breeders but as Harper highlights, they run a commercial business in which they need to be seen to trade the best of their wares and take pride in achieving top results at this sale each year. Harper added: “They always say the best time to sell is when you don’t want to, we have sold a couple of others out of the mare, and it’s turned out well.
“We’re proud of our reputation of taking a very strong draft to Tattersalls. We’ve topped the Foal Sale with our draft the last couple of years and we like that reputation of taking the best.
“This really tested us, are we sellers at the end of the day and I don’t think anyone could argue that if we’re taking her to the sales then we definitely are.”
The fillies out of Suelita have shown Harper the same forward going attitude and enthusiastic temperament which this foal also possesses as she’s proven to be the trailblazer of her comrades though the sales preparation routine.
Harper said: “The Kingman filly [KASSAYA] was the same out of the mare, now she’s very exciting too.
“She went off favourite for the Queen Mary and was denied a clear run a couple of times, if anyone wants to go and watch that race back, different circumstances, she could have been winning that race.
“She had a minor setback I believe but is very exciting for next year so that’s another one to add to the page.
“The fillies are definitely forward going but we’re trying to breed fast horses, we like that.”
There will be no special treatment for this filly as she must learn her trade in a similar fashion to the 23 other foals Whitsbury Manor will be offering later this month.
On whether consigning a filly with a pedigree and constitution like hers brings additional pressures, Harper said: “Pressure is a privilege, that’s what they say.
“The team are doing a great job; we treat her like any other foal. Everything up at the sales is going to be new for her so we’re not walking on eggshells, she’s got to learn.”
The superstar broodmare SUELITA was purchased at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2013 by Chris Harper, the former helmsmen of Whitsbury Manor for 21,500 guineas. The acquisition of this mare has proven to be a stroke of genius given her progeny’s winning strike rate, commenting on her success Ed Harper said: “She’s never missed, every time no matter what stallion she went to.
“GET AHEAD was fantastic for us she was second in the Group 1 [Flying Five] and I believe she was sent to Frankel this year as well, so that family are really getting the best chance on top of Suelita.
“ALKUMAIT was trained at Whitsbury by Marcus Tregoning, so we got to watch him be a really fast two-year-old winning the Mill Reef.
“Suelita has been great so hopefully we’ve got a few more years to go.”
The December Foal Sale will take place from Tuesday, 26th November to Saturday, 30th November with the same format that was introduced last year. Foals will sell on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with a viewing day on Thursday, 28th November. The catalogue is online now at www.tattersalls.com
